Claims about durability are easy to make when a coating has just been applied. The more useful question is: what does it look like after several years of real British weather?
Three years after visiting this house that had been finished with Sadolin Superdec, we returned to see exactly that.
There had been no special test conditions and no carefully protected sample boards. This was a genuine exterior project exposed year-round everything else the British climate could throw at it.
You can head over to this video to see the original prep and application.
A Real-World Test of Exterior Protection
When the property was originally coated, one of the most striking things about the project was the colour.
The opaque blue finish completely transformed the exterior, but Superdec is designed to do much more than provide colour.
Exterior timber constantly responds to its environment. It absorbs and releases moisture and expands and contracts as conditions change.
That movement can be challenging for exterior coatings, particularly on large areas of timber or exposed joinery.
Superdec is a flexible coating, moving with the timber rather than becoming brittle and prone to cracking and peeling.
Three years of exposure gives us a much better opportunity to see how those characteristics translate into the real world.
What Affects How Long an Exterior Finish Lasts?
Sadolin rates Superdec for up to 10 years’ protection. However, that should not be interpreted as every painted surface automatically lasting exactly ten years without attention.
There are plenty of variables involved.
The condition and type of timber, quality of the original preparation, number and thickness of coats, exposure to sunlight and rain, orientation of the building and even architectural details can all influence how quickly a coating weathers.
A sheltered vertical wall, for example, generally has a much easier life than a horizontal window sill where rainwater can sit.
Preparation is particularly important.
Loose or failing coatings need to be removed before repainting. Weathered timber should be taken back to a sound surface and the timber needs to be dry before the finish is applied.
The quality of what goes underneath the coating has a major bearing on what happens several years later.
Maintenance Doesn’t Always Mean Starting Again
Maintenance is much easier when it happens before a coating has completely failed.
A finish may gradually lose some colour, sheen or water repellency without the timber underneath necessarily being damaged.
If the existing coating remains sound, maintenance can often be considerably simpler than stripping everything back and starting again.
Regularly inspecting exterior timber is therefore worthwhile, particularly around joints, end grain, window sills and other areas where water is most likely to collect.
Waiting until bare timber is visible usually means considerably more preparation.
Sadolin Superdec. A Great Go-To Product That Lasts
Product specifications are important, but there is something particularly useful about revisiting a genuine project several years after completion.
The Blue House gives us exactly that opportunity.
It shows Sadolin Superdec not immediately after application, but after years of exposure in the environment it was designed for.
And that’s ultimately the test that matters.
Choosing the right exterior coating is important, but so is preparing the timber correctly, applying it in suitable conditions and keeping an eye on the finish as the years pass.
Do those things well and maintenance becomes less about repairing damaged timber and more about keeping sound timber protected in the first place.
Our Woodcare experts are always on hand for help and advice. Give them a call today – 01303 477555
